Response to the article published in the online newspaper SOT titled:”The Media Council is an appendix of Samir Mane, here’s how associations paid by the EU threaten the newspaper SOT with lawsuits…”

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Here’s the translation of the provided text into English:

Response to the article published in the newspaper SOT

In an online article published in the newspaper SOT, several accusations are raised against the Media Council.

The Media Council (AMC) would like to clarify to the public that these accusations are unfounded and not based on facts. The article is misleading and misinforming, constituting a direct attack from one media outlet against the self-regulatory process.

  1. The mentioned article was produced following a decision by the Ethics Board of the Albanian Media Council (AMC) and the Alliance for Ethical Media regarding a complaint made against the media outlet Sot.com.al. By unanimous decision of the Board, the article in question was found to be in violation of the Code of Ethics, specifically Article 1. The ethical violations in the article are as follows:
    1) The article contains unverified and factually unsupported information.
    2) The article is unbalanced because it does not provide the opinion of the affected party. There is no evidence in the article that the affected party was consulted, nor is their opinion reflected.
    Even a journalism student, not just an ethics expert, could verify these violations and judge the Board’s decision.

A standard methodology was applied to Sot.com.al in cases of complaints. The media outlet was contacted in advance to be informed about the complaint and the complainant’s claims and to offer its stance. After the media did not accept the complaint, according to procedure, the complaint was forwarded to the Ethics Board, which then made its decision.

Our Ethics Board does not function as a court, and its decisions are recommendations. Specifically, the Board’s decision regarding the article in Sot.com.al stated: “It is suggested that the media outlet Sot.com.al delete the article.”

  1. The Media Council has not threatened Sot.com.al with lawsuits. This is disinformation. Below is a facsimile of the complete communication with the media, where, on the contrary, it is Sot.com.al that threatens the Media Council with legal action through the prosecutor’s office.
  2. Furthermore, the accusation by Sot.com.al that “the oligarch has tried to pressure the newspaper through an organization called the Media Council” and that “Samir Mane involved an anonymous organization with the stamp of an association to pressure the newspaper SOT” is pure defamation. The executive staff of AMC has no contact, personal or otherwise, with Mr. Mane. The complaint was submitted electronically by Mr. Agim Fjolla, who presented himself as the “Director of Communications” for the Balfin Group. Aside from emails related to the complaint, the AMC staff has had no other contact with Mr. Fjolla, of any form, nor any prior acquaintance. As clarified via email to Sot.com.al, we do not prejudge anyone and take in consideration every complaint that meets the criteria according to the Ethics Board’s operating regulations.

Contrary to what Sot.com.al claims, AMC and its Chairman, Koloreto Cukali, have consistently expressed opposition to media capture by oligarchs. These statements can be easily found online. However, despite our stance for a free and uncaptured media, this does not mean that the community of journalists, media outlets, and media organizations should turn a blind eye to ethical violations. The fight to protect the public interest cannot and should not justify unethical articles. Self-regulation is precisely this: ethical journalism without state intervention but by the community.

  1. Regarding Sot.com.al‘s accusation that “the Media Council receives funds from European taxpayers,” we need to clarify two things:
    • At the time of this article’s publication, AMC has no funding, either from outside or inside the country, and its staff works without payment. This has not prevented us from keeping the complaint mechanism and self-regulation process operational, nor from continuing the fight for media freedom.
    • On our website, we display the logos of partners who have supported us over the past five years. We are proud of our partnership with the EU, UNESCO, and other international organizations. Receiving support from the EU is neither shameful nor a crime. In fact, it is the only way to preserve our independence.
  2. The accusation that “the funds the Media Council receives from Europeans are not spent on creating a safer environment for journalists, raising the voice for working conditions and pressures, but are instead used to serve the interests of Samir Mane” is pure defamation.
    AMC has been at the forefront of the fight against the anti-defamation package. AMC and its Chairman, Koloreto Cukali, have publicly and consistently expressed support for media freedom and journalists, including in ongoing meetings with international actors. A simple Google search would suffice to verify this.

However, Sot.com.al confuses the protection of freedom of information and journalists with unethical journalism. Media freedom does not mean irresponsibility, unethical journalism, or defamation.

Self-regulation is the process that obliges the media to maintain ethical professionalism, not through state intervention but through mechanisms established by the community of journalists and media outlets. Our Ethics Board is elected annually by the Assembly of the Alliance for Ethical Media, which consists of 38 media outlets (at the time of this article). Thus, our Ethics Board is not only composed of people with integrity, professionalism, and respect, but it is also VOTED on by an organization of 38 media outlets (Sot.com.al has not accepted to be a part of this).

This is called “Self-Regulation,” and it is the only alternative to regulation by the government.

AMC will defend every media outlet and journalist, including Sot.com.al, from any threats to freedom, but it will not support or defend unprofessional and unethical articles.

  1. Regarding Sot.com.al‘s attempt to label AMC as “an anonymous organization,” we must state that AMC is a proud member of AIPCE – the Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe – and the only self-regulatory body in Albania, recognized by international organizations and the EU. A visit to our website and the Alliance for Ethical Media would have informed Sot.com.al that our Ethics Board is supported by 38 media outlets, members of the Alliance for Ethical Media, which AMC operates.
  2. The mention of Mr. Shkullaku in the article is, at the very least, unprofessional, if not a deliberate attempt to misinform. Mr. Shkullaku is merely one of the 36 founding members of AMC and is not involved in the daily work of AMC. Lapsi.al, co-directed by Mr. Shkullaku, is just one of the 38 media outlets that are members of AME, which elects the Ethics Board. A visit to our website would have informed Sot.com.al that decisions regarding complaints are made by a Board of 5 members, of which Mr. Shkullaku is not a part. As for the accusation against AMC, “behind which hide journalists with villas near Samir Mane, former MPs, and employees of Edi Rama’s institutions,” it is simply absurd, and the labyrinth of fantasies in the article writer’s mind is unclear.
  3. Overall, the unnamed article on Sot.com.al aims to discredit the self-regulation process. This is precisely in line with the Albanian government, which has long claimed that self-regulation does not exist or does not work in Albania, and continues efforts to introduce regulatory mechanisms for the online media market, where ethics would not be decided by the AME Ethics Board, elected by 38 media outlets, but by anonymous individuals in state offices.

On behalf of the Media Council,
Chairman
Koloreto Cukali

Screenshots of communication with Sot.com.al

  • this article was translated using AI